Shadow of the Past

The afternoon sun filtered through the wire mesh of the rooftop, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Karuizawa Kei stood before Hanyu Xiuyi, her golden ponytail swaying gently in the breeze, but her expression was completely different from usual.

Gone was the deliberately crafted bright smile, gone was the effortless confidence. At this moment, she was just an ordinary girl with flickering eyes and tightly clenched hands.

Hanyu didn't answer her question immediately. Instead, he walked to the bench, sat down, and patted the seat beside him.

"Let's sit down and talk."

Karuizawa hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down. There was about half a meter between them, not too close, not too far, just enough to make the conversation less oppressive.

"Your question just now," Hanyu said, looking at the sky in the distance, "I can answer it. If someone found out about my past, the things I don't want people to know, what would I do?"

Karuizawa looked at him nervously.

"I would first ask myself a question," Hanyu said. "Can that past really define the current me?"

Karuizawa was stunned.

"Everyone has a past they don't want others to know," Hanyu continued. "Mistakes made, hurts suffered, weaknesses one dares not face... But these are just the past. The current me is determined by my current choices."

He turned to look at Karuizawa. "So if someone wants to threaten me with my past, I will tell him – go ahead and say it. After you say it, I will still be the current me, and you will just be a wretch using someone else's past to attack them."

Karuizawa's eyes widened slightly. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately lowered her head.

"But..." her voice was very small, "what if that past is really terrible? What if everyone looks at you with strange glances if they find out?"

"Will they?" Hanyu retorted. "Do you think everyone in Class D will look at you with strange glances?"

Karuizawa's body trembled slightly.

"Will Hirata? Will Kushida? Will Sudo? Will Sakura?" Hanyu counted them one by one. "Those who fought together on the island, those who helped each other, will they negate the current you because of your past?"

Karuizawa fell silent.

After a long time, she spoke, her voice hoarse, "Hanyu... what if I said, someone is threatening me with my past?"

Hanyu's gaze sharpened. "Ryuen?"

Karuizawa nodded, tears beginning to well up in her eye sockets.

"He sent someone to find me, saying he knew about my middle school days..." Her voice grew smaller and smaller. "If I don't listen to him, he'll tell the whole class..."

"What things?"

Karuizawa looked up at Hanyu. Her eyes were filled with fear and hesitation, but in the end, she gritted her teeth and spoke.

"In middle school, I was the one being bullied."

Hanyu listened quietly.

"I was bullied every day... locked in the toilet, my shoes hidden, people badmouthing me behind my back... I didn't dare to resist, nor did I dare to tell the teachers, because that would only make things worse..." Karuizawa's voice trembled. "Later, to avoid being bullied, I started trying to please those who bullied me. I did things for them, ran errands for them, and even helped them bully others..."

Tears finally streamed down her face.

"I knew it was wrong, but I... I was too scared... I was afraid that if I didn't do it, I would be the next one to be bullied..."

Hanyu didn't speak, just handed her a tissue.

Karuizawa took it, wiped her face haphazardly, and continued, "Later, when I got to high school, I thought I could start over. So I worked hard to appear cheerful, worked hard to get along with everyone, worked hard to make myself the center of the class... As long as I was at the center of the crowd, I wouldn't be isolated anymore..."

"But now," her voice grew even lower, "Ryuen's people found me and said that if I didn't cooperate with them, they would tell the whole class about my past. Let everyone know that the current Karuizawa Kei is actually just a coward from middle school who was bullied and ran errands for bullies..."

She couldn't go on, just lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.

The rooftop fell silent, only the sound of the wind gently blowing past their ears.

Hanyu Xiuyi looked at the girl before him. The Karuizawa Kei who always smiled, always livened up the atmosphere, always stood at the center of the crowd, was now just an ordinary girl shrouded in fear.

After a long time, he spoke.

"Sakura, I have a question for you."

Karuizawa looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, and looked at him.

"Those things in middle school, did you do them because you wanted to?"

Karuizawa froze.

"You ran errands for those people, helped them bully others, was it because you wanted to, or because you had no choice?"

"I..." Karuizawa opened her mouth, "I had no choice..."

"Then where are the people who bullied you now?"

"I... I don't know... Maybe they're still at their original school..."

"How are they doing now? Are they better off than you?"

Karuizawa thought for a moment and shook her head, "I don't know..."

"I can tell you," Hanyu said, "They are probably somewhere right now, continuing to bully others in the same way. Because people like that will only ever prove their existence by bullying others. But you—"

He looked into Karuizawa's eyes and said, word by word, "You have already gotten out of that environment. You came to a new school, made new friends, and have a new life. You are no longer the one being bullied, nor are you their accomplice. You are Karuizawa Kei now, a member of Class D, the one who carried Sakura for several kilometers on the island."

Karuizawa's tears flowed again, but this time not out of fear.

"Those past events are just a fragment of your life," Hanyu continued. "They cannot define who you are now. What defines you are your current choices—like choosing to tell me this now, like choosing to believe me, like choosing to encourage everyone on the island."

He paused. "Ryuen wants to threaten you with your past because he has no other means. He can only attack others with their scars. People like that are not worth your fear."

Karuizawa looked at him, the fear in her eyes gradually replaced by another emotion.

"Hanyu..." she choked out, "Do you really think... everyone won't look down on me?"

"Ask them yourself." Hanyu stood up and walked to the rooftop door, pushing it open.

Several people stood outside.

Hirata Yousuke, Kushida Kikyo, Sudo Ken, Sakura Airi, Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki—and Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyonaga.

Karuizawa's eyes widened, her whole body frozen in place.

"You... when did you all..."

"From the beginning." Hirata Yousuke said gently, his blonde hair shining in the sun. "Hanyu asked us to come. He said you might need everyone's support."

Karuizawa's tears welled up again.

Kushida Kikyo walked over and gently hugged her. "Karuizawa-san, it's okay. Everyone has a past, but that doesn't matter. What matters is the you now."

Sudo Ken scratched his head, showing a rare embarrassed expression. "Hey, Karuizawa, that... what happened in middle school wasn't your fault. Anyone who dares to say anything about it, I'll beat them up."

Sakura Airi timidly walked over and whispered, "Karuizawa-san... you've helped me many times before... when I was scared... you're a good person..."

Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki exchanged a look and also stepped forward. Ike said, "Well... we've all made mistakes. But Hanyu said that as long as you're willing to turn over a new leaf, everyone will forgive you. So... you'll definitely be forgiven too."

Yamauchi nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, yes! We all support you!"

Horikita Suzune leaned against the doorframe, her expression still cold, but her tone was much softer than usual. "Karuizawa, a person's worth isn't in her past, but in what she can do for the future. You did well on the island, and that's enough."

Karuizawa was surrounded by everyone, tears streaming down her face, but the corners of her mouth gradually turned upwards.

It was a genuine smile, not forced, but from the heart.

Ayanokoji Kiyonaga stood at the back of the crowd, still with a blank expression. But when Karuizawa looked over, he gave a slight nod, acknowledging his stance.

Hanyu Xiuyi walked up to Karuizawa and extended his hand.

"Karuizawa-san, welcome home."

Karuizawa looked at the hand, her vision blurred by tears. She reached out and grasped it tightly.

"Thank you... thank you, everyone..."

The sun shone on the rooftop, warm and bright. At this moment, Class D's cohesion reached an unprecedented height.

But Hanyu Xiuyi knew this was just the beginning. Ryuen wouldn't give up so easily; he must have a plan.

And what they had to do was unite and face all the challenges ahead.

In the distance, the school bell rang, signaling the start of the afternoon classes.

But for Class D, a new chapter had just begun.